Durham Police Chief calls for drug decriminalisation
Mike Barton, the Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary, has called for the decriminalisation of drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
He has also suggested the creation of a controlled supply for recovering addicts.
In an article published in The Observer, the senior police officer claimed that “if the ‘war on drugs’ means trying to reduce the illicit supply of drugs, then it has comprehensively failed.”
Barton believes that unlike those who sell drugs, addicts “need to be treated, cared for and encouraged to break the cycle of addiction. They do not need to be criminalised.”
He has suggested that policy also has a strong impact on how addicts and drugs themselves are perceived.
When he recently argued at a Durham Union Society debate for the decriminalisation of Class A drugs, he was disappointed by student opinion:
“Imagine my surprise, my chagrin even, when the students overwhelmingly voted in favour of maintaining outright prohibition.”
Mr Barton compares the prohibition of drugs with America’s alcohol prohibition, an act that fuelled a black market criminal industry.
He added that “not all crime gangs raise income through selling drugs, but in my experience most of them do.”
“These criminals are often local heroes and role models for young people who covet their wealth. Decriminalising their commodity will immediately cut off their income stream and destroy their power.”
His opinion echoes the recommendation of the 1926 Rolleston report which suggests that addicts be prescribed drugs via their GP or a specialised clinic.
British drug policy reflected this principle until the more restrictive Dangerous Drugs Act of 1964.
“I am calling for a controlled environment, not a free for all,” said Barton.
“This is very similar to the system currently used in Portugal that is having encouraging results.”
Mr Barton believes that “if an addict were able to access drugs via the NHS or some similar organisation, then they would not have to go out and buy illegal drugs.”
He sees addicts as victims and believes that that current system leaves them vulnerable.
He wrote that that often people who are trapped in addiction “are either in prison, regularly arrested or dead” and that we need to find better ways of helping them.
In response, Chief Constable Andy Bliss, on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said that Mr Barton is “entitled to his views” but that “recent evidence suggests that, overall, drug misuse in the UK is falling.”
“These are matters for parliament to decide. We need in particular to be very thoughtful about setting clear boundaries, especially for young people, in relation to drugs, their misuse and criminal activity surrounding them.”
Danny Kuschlick, of the reform group Transform Drugs Policy Foundation, has offered his support, saying:
“Chief Constable Barton demonstrates a responsible attitude to drugs that is so often absent among professionals and political leaders.”
“He is that all-too-rare thing, a man who serves on the frontline, with principles and courage, who supports effective reform that best meets the needs of the communities that he serves.”
Mike Barton had previously served with Lancashire police for 28 years before moving to Durham Constabulary.
His comments will contribute to an international debate that centres on the question: “are we really winning the ‘war on drugs?”
Photograph: Flickr